Bill Murray Relives a Role, Seeing Broadway’s ‘Groundhog Day’

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Bill Murray at the bar on Tuesday night at the August Wilson Theater before seeing “Groundhog Day,” the Broadway musical based on the film in which he starred. He was attending the show for the first time.CreditHilary Swift for The New York Times

There he was in the audience at the August Wilson Theater in New York City on Tuesday night, taking in a performance of “Groundhog Day,” the Broadway musical based on the 1993 movie that he starred in.

It was Mr. Murray’s first time seeing the musical — Watch out for that first step, it’s a doozy! — and he was accompanied by his brother, Brian Doyle-Murray, who played Buster in the film, as well as Danny Rubin, a co-writer of the screenplay for the movie and the writer of the book for the musical.

“Groundhog Day” — a story about a self-absorbed weatherman who keeps repeating the same day over and over again in Punxsutawney, Pa. — is one of the most critically acclaimed comedies in history and one of Mr. Murray’s best works.

Mr. Murray exhibited a range of emotions throughout the night. At first, it was quirky one-liners to gleeful fans who suddenly recognized him. There were gestures and guffaws during the first act. But by the end of the performance, Mr. Murray was visibly sobbing.

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Mr. Murray posed with a fan before Tuesday night’s performance began.CreditHilary Swift for The New York Times

When he arrived, he went to the bar to get a glass of water. The bartender, Janet Polanco, offered him a bottle — but Mr. Murray wanted a glass and gave a $50 tip. Then he whispered, “This is too much for a glass of water.” Mr. Murray walked to his seat mostly unnoticed. One audience member told him he looked “taller and thinner.” Murray responded, “Yeah, I’ve been working out.”

Minutes later, Mr. Murray got a brief round of applause from the crowd. Once the show started, he immediately started bobbing his head to the music. During a scene in which Ned Ryerson, a pushy insurance salesman, meets Phil Connors, the lead of the show (played by Andy Karl in the musical), Mr. Murray pumped his fist.

At intermission, Mr. Murray headed back to the bar to get a beer. On his way, he decided to climb over a woman in a mostly empty row, rather than walk up the aisle.

“He said, ‘Excuse me, don’t move,’” said Toby Arbel, who came in from New Jersey to see the show. “‘I’ll walk over you,’ and then he did and got stuck because my bag was here. And he said, ‘You have a suitcase with you.’”

In the lobby, Mr. Murray took selfies with fans as they lined up to greet him. At one point, he reached into his pocket and gave two young boys pieces from a Junior Mints box.

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Mr. Murray with the cast and crew following Tuesday’s performance. Barrett Doss, left, is the lead actress, and Andy Karl, right, is the lead actor.CreditHilary Swift for The New York Times

During the second act, he could be heard yelling, “Wow!” after a performance of “Playing Nancy,” sung by Rebecca Faulkenberry. By the time the cast was bowing on stage, Mr. Murray was in tears. He waited a minute to compose himself before joining the rest of the audience to cheer the cast.

Afterward, Mr. Murray took more pictures with fans. When Zoey Jacobs, 11, approached him on crutches, Mr. Murray told her: “Don’t sell short on the rehab. Otherwise, you’ll limp and gimp for a long time.”

Then Mr. Murray, Mr. Doyle-Murray and Mr. Rubin went backstage to greet the cast and take pictures. Mr. Murray was clearly still moved by the show, telling the conductor, David Holcenberg, “It really killed me.” To Sean Montgomery, who played the sheriff, he said: “It was really beautiful. You got me. You really got me.”

Eventually, he addressed the whole cast.

“As actors, I can’t respect enough how disciplined you are and how serving you are of the process,” Mr. Murray said. “There’s nothing worse than seeing someone that’s out for themselves. And you are all in it for each other.”

He did have some suggestions, though.

“When you ever feel you don’t know what to do, sing to the person next to you,” Mr. Murray said. “And that person will sing to the person next to that person, and then you will have this force that’s even stronger.”

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Mr. Murray with the Broadway cast and crew. Mr. Murray’s brother, Brian Doyle-Murray, right, accompanied him.CreditHilary Swift for The New York Times

In an interview afterward, Mr. Murray said it was the message behind the story brought to life on stage that made him weep.

“The idea that …” Mr. Murray trailed off as he paused to collect his thoughts. “The idea that we just have to try again. We just have to try again. It’s such a beautiful, powerful idea.”

The movie was considered by many critics to be a comic masterpiece. The New York Times critic Janet Maslin wrote that it showed Mr. Murray in “top form,” as he smoothly alternated between nihilism and the traditional physical comedy that the script required. It became an oft-quoted classic and added another strong showing to the partnership of Mr. Murray and Harold Ramis, the film’s director. The men had previously collaborated on “Meatballs” (1979), “Caddyshack” (1980) and “Ghostbusters” (1984).

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Andy Karl as Phil Connors in a March preview of “Groundhog Day” at the August Wilson Theater.CreditSara Krulwich/The New York Times

Mr. Ramis and Mr. Murray clashed often during filming about the direction of “Groundhog Day” and did not speak for decades afterward. They never worked together again. Mr. Ramis died in 2014 of complications from autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis.

“They were pretty far apart on what the movie was about — Bill wanted it to be more philosophical, and Harold kept reminding him it was a comedy,” Mr. Rubin told The New Yorker in 2004.

When asked what Mr. Ramis would have thought of the musical, Mr. Murray did not skip a beat.